/image%2F0846185%2F20181026%2Fob_f5ea65_logo-export-new3s9-quart.jpg){kind=logo}
/http%3A%2F%2Fassets.over-blog.com%2Ft%2Ftwentyeleven%2Fimages%2Fpine-cone.jpg "Raisonnements, Analyses, Recherches, Recoupements, Explications, Corrélations, Annonces autour des thématiques qui érigent l'économie d'aujourd'hui et préparent le prochain monde : progrès, inventions, drones, ordinateurs, data, big data, telecom, technologies, e-commerce, énergie, santé, intelligence artificielle, cybersécurité, communication, video, image, armes, réalité, robotique, 3D, Rich-Media, NTIC (nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication) ... Voici les yeux d'OOKAWA Corp. pour MIEUX LIRE et MIEUX COMPRENDRE")
IT Services in France : IT Concierge provides key warning points and 7 tips to avoid failure as an international project manager
Publié le 16 Novembre 2021
Communication is an ongoing process which can take over 70% of the project coordinator’s time
7 tips to avoid failure as an international project manager (coordinator or dispatcher)
The 7 tips I share below are based on my own professional experience, and they may help you to avoid failure while managing your projects.
As an international project coordinator, I have been managing technicians on site for many years. They have performed micro-projects, on-site network equipment installations (e.g. switches, routers, cabling, racks, firewalls, Wi-Fi), as well as surveillance camera systems for retail stores and network troubleshooting. I currently advise and supervise project managers as well.
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_940ad0_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
Why 7 tips?
I picked 7 because I feel “seven” is an interesting number. Seven days a week, seven seas, seven continents.
7 was considered a God number in ancient Egypt. 7 also sounds official to me, even smart and sophisticated like the cool “007.”
Now, back to project management.
As a Project Coordinator, it is paramount to be knowledgeable and decisive about your project (especially when managing technicians on customer’s sites).
Let’s take a look at these SEVEN points one by one:
1. Master the scope of the project.
- You have to know all the important requirements, starting from the “scope of work”, (including tasks, deliverables, desired outcome, and who the stakeholders are) these are “key” when starting to plan your project.
- You have to communicate all aspects of the project to the technicians and other parties involved, including the customer.
- Make sure to have a clear idea of -what is expected from you and your team- before you start.
- Talk to your colleagues that have experience managing similar projects, finding a project template may help as well.
- If you are not sure about the exact meaning of these terms (outcome, deliverables, scope), I strongly recommend you learn these “key project management concepts” ASAP.
- You can guide your teams and succeed with your project only when you possess the right understanding and vision of your project from the starting blocks.
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_9580aa_logo-it-concierge-france-it-services-i.png){kind=logo}
2. Evaluate Risk
– Ask yourself… What can go wrong? It is a good strategy to evaluate risks to avoid the possibility of things going wrong.
a. Come up with a contingency plan for risks always have a “plan B”
For those using Prince2, there may be a “learn from experience” Principle’s log: https://prince2.wiki/principles/learn-from-experience
For those using PMP/PMI, the key phrase to check for is “Lessons learned” while the names are different the principles are the same, based on past experiences of what when wrong in previous projects and how to prepare for them.
https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/lessons-learned-next-level-communicating-7991
When installing IPTV solutions for hotels (or replacing network equipment in hospitals, or clinics), a recurrent risk in France was the delivery time of the equipment, (often delayed).
b. Concerning risks -you do not know- or those that you cannot plan for, it is good practice to allocate extra resources (people) and budget. Keep your eyes focused on your team who may be able to resolve issues directly and quickly on the spot.
I’ve mentioned PMP and Prince2, now Agile, (we can’t do without it nowadays) and the best thing IMHO is to combine your PM knowledge and to apply it I real life, that’s the way you grow, The ‘Agile way’ to deal with risk is done more by practices then envisioning. Many Agile practices look to identify and mitigate risk throughout the project, it’s a way of thinking.
Unfortunately, we can’t cover much about risk here, there are entire chapters about that. But, I assure you that if you follow these 5 points below, they will help you avoid unpleasant situations.
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_b46ece_it-remote-hands-subcontractor-france-d.jpg)
3. Communicate with all parties before & during the job getting feedback and updates.
Successful communication will pave the way for a “flawless” intervention. You must properly communicate and provide the required information and expectations to all parties involved including, team members- third party providers (e.g. Telecom company), about any incoming dispatch, this will ensure that the on-site technician gets the required support needed to accomplish his job and help to identify any possible hurdles in advance. It is also helpful to double-check on availability and send periodic reminders before the job starts and also during the intervention ensuring everyone involved in the process is kept up to date. It is important to be aware of the different time zones when setting up conferences.
….” Communication is an ongoing process which can take over 70% of the project coordinator’s time”
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_871011_it-remote-hands-subcontractor-france-d.jpg)
4. Customer and stakeholder involvement. The project manager (or project coordinator/dispatcher) has to find a way to obtain the engagement from the customer and stakeholders (not all stakeholders are required to be engaged, some just need to be informed) and clearly communicate to them -what is expected from them to ensure an optimal and successful project.
Often the PM and technician have all information related to the job, however, they do not communicate accordingly with the customer and stakeholders… “a potential recipe for disaster!”
Two typical scenarios:
A. The customer (or a stakeholder) is not aware that “he has to give access” to the technician to the IT Room or to a particular rack in a data center, this results in the technician losing precious time until access is granted.
B. The customer is not aware of the exact arrival time of the technician. This is potentially damaging for everyone involved as small jobs depend on a limited budget, time wasted is potentially billable. To avoid this situation, communicate with your customer the technician’s expected time of arrival ETA and what is required of him/her for the project or intervention to be successful and minimize the impact on time/budget. Time is money!
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_6bb9b4_en-tete-blog-overblog-itconcierge-en.jpg)
5. Ask for help when needed, don’t panic!
If a problem arises make sure you seek help from another peer or your manager. It is always important to remain calm when dealing with issues involving customers, partners and technicians. You will need to gain as much information as possible to provide a clear picture and discuss it within your team. In most cases, a solution is found within your team (be Agile!) without the need for escalation or unnecessarily getting the customer involved (PMP).
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_a79866_it-services-remote-hands-in-france-mov.jpg)
6. Document!
Everything must be in writing! Use an intervention form (Work Order) that contains all required information for the technician performing the work. The form should contain the Date & time, address, tasks, deliverables, tools required for the job, the software required, remote contacts, local contact who can authorize the technician to leave the site after the job has been completed and verified and provide a place for the customer to sign… “extremely important!”.
Your company must provide you with project management software tools that allow you to become efficient and to keep all information in one place, which will help you to optimize your time and effort keeping your project on track. Tools such as Work Order and templates together with your PM tool are used for planning, managing time, resources, and people, controlling costs, and monitoring project progress.
At the end of this article, I have included a link to a document for that purpose (WO). Feel free to use it to manage technicians going on site. I hope you find it useful!.
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_ea6cb6_it-services-remote-hands-in-france-mov.jpg)
7. Submit a good report
Make sure you complete a detailed report and send it to the customer after the visit including a summary of the visit, the actions performed, deliverables, and the resolution.
This report ensures that you have professionally completed your intervention.
You can now go ahead and close the ticket, go home, and take a break. Good job!
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_f80bcb_logo-it-concierge-france-it-services-i.png){kind=logo}
IT Concierge provides IT Services for companies all over France:
- IT Network,
- System integration,
- network configuration,
- network site survey,
- Wireless site surveys project planning and deployments
- ...
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_d629fd_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_d27ce0_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_0c56a9_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
/image%2F0846185%2F20211128%2Fob_b7e694_it-network-maintenance-it-services-mov.jpg)
/image%2F6571278%2F20210503%2Fob_01ffea_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
Des professionnels qualifiés assistent ou complètent vos équipes informatiques en France Visitez notre site Web : www.it-concierge-france.fr on Facebook : ...
Bienvenue sur le Blog de la société IT CONCIERGE : Solutions de IT service maintenance en FRANCE - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210526%2Fob_a1643d_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
Informáticos calificados para asistir o completar tus equipos Visite nuestra página web : https://www.it-concierge-france.fr/es/inicio/ en Facebook : ...
Bienvenido a nuestro Blog: Soluciones Informáticas, servicios mantenimiento de sistemas en Francia - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210526%2Fob_b598e1_it-services-solutions-migration-reloca.jpg)
Qualified professionals assist or complete your IT staff in France Please Visit our web site : www.it-concierge-france.fr on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/It-Concierge-109923287157107/ on ...
Welcome to the IT CONCIERGE blog: IT Solutions Services and Maintenance in France - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210706%2Fob_85b50f_worldwide-it-spending-to-grow-8-4-4-tr.jpeg)
IT no longer just supports corporate operations as it traditionally has, but is fully participating in business value delivery Not only does this shift IT from a back-office role to the front of ...
Worldwide IT spending to grow 8.4% to $4 trillion in 2021 - Gartner - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210706%2Fob_5deb9b_gartner-magic-quadrant-2021.png)
Top 5 IT services trends for technology, service providers - All IT Services and Solutions - France
As businesses embrace digital services, technology and service providers must align with five market-changing trends, according to Gartner analyst Twiggy Lo. Today, the digital business services ...
Top 5 IT services trends for technology, service providers - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210812%2Fob_5d3954_it-pressrelease-socialcard-2.png)
Gartner Forecasts IT Spending in EMEA to Grow 2.8% in 2021 - All IT Services and Solutions - France
Before the pandemic, most organizations moved their digital strategies forward at a steady pace. The way forward in 2021 is for organizations is to increase, rather than decrease, the speed of their
Gartner Forecasts IT Spending in EMEA to Grow 2.8% in 2021 - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20210812%2Fob_5a937e_the-world-most-important-cios-it-execu.jpg)
We will distill the most critical advice for clients and deliver it at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo. Now is the time to turn to Gartner for insights, for direct advice and to discover how to thrive in a
Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ is going virtual : 8 - 11 November 2021 - EMEA Virtual - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F0846185%2F20211025%2Fob_0d5f69_db51a87f0bbf4da847f379ead49a3.jpeg)
Pour Orange, avoir de la capacité sur PEACE est synonyme d'une plus grande diversité de routes, d'une meilleure sécurité de la connexion et d'une augmentation de capacité garantie dans toutes ...
Nouveau câble sous-marin PEACE reliant la France à l'Asie et l'Afrique : les routes de la soie numérique - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20211109%2Fob_214c95_it-services-remote-hands-in-france-ipt.jpg)
IT CONCIERGE is pleased to invite you to discover her brand new Youtube chanel. IP TV Installations TV Wall Mount in Hotels, Hospitals, Clinics and Business Offices (video conferencing). Also Table
IP TV Installations TV Wall Mount in Hotels, Hospitals, Clinics and Business Offices in France by IT Concierge - All IT Services and Solutions - France
/image%2F6571278%2F20211109%2Fob_060c24_all-it-services-solutions-migration-re.jpg)
Do I Need to Be Certified in Project Management, to work as a project manager? Will a certification help? I will reply with the "Norman's answer" Yes and No (Normans = people from Normandie, north ...
Do I Need to Be Certified in Project Management, to work as a project manager? - All IT Services and Solutions - France